Poland v England

England were denied a crucial victory as Kamil Glik's second-half equaliser gave Poland a point they fully deserved in the delayed World Cup qualifier in Warsaw.

Roy Hodgson's side were on course for three points that would have been a generous reward for a mediocre display after Wayne Rooney's deflected header gave them the lead before the interval.

Group H standings

Played

Points

England

4

8

Montenegro

3

7

Poland

3

5

Moldova

4

4

Ukraine

3

2

San Marino

3

0

In a game played 24 hours after the initial meeting was
washed away in a Warsaw deluge,
England struggled to exert any supremacy and it was no surprise when Glik took advantage of a rare misjudgement from keeper Joe Hart to head home a corner with 19 minutes left.

England would have been hoping for a win that could have given them control of a potentially very tight qualifying group, but in the end there may even be a measure of relief that they leave Poland with a draw which leaves them a point clear at the top of Group H.

Moments of quality were rare, not helped by a patchy pitch made worse by the storm that hit the city on Tuesday and forced the game to be held over for a day.

England's campaign now has a mixed appearance, with convincing wins against Moldova and San Marino set against two draws, from meetings with Ukraine and now Poland.

Hodgson's men will resume action with a double header against San Marino and Montenegro in March, the latter fixture in particular now assuming real significance.

The England boss made no late alterations to the team selected for the postponed game - but the lingering effects of the Warsaw rains were seen in the sticky surface, which curtailed Poland's counter-attacking style and emphasised how tentative England's passing was.

Rooney gave England the lead with a deflected header

Rooney's industry was evident when he raced deep into his own territory to cover when Ashley Cole lost the ball but he was as guilty as any England player of gifting the ball back to Poland in an undistinguished first half.

Hart needed to be alert to dive at the feet of Lukasz Piszczek and Kamil Grosicki shot wide as Poland attempted to build momentum, while the dangerous Robert Lewandowski fired across the face of goal after shrugging off Tom Cleverley.

But it was Rooney whose contribution made the difference at half-time as he gave England a 31st minute lead, his header from Steven Gerrard's corner glancing off Piszczek and beyond goalkeeper Przemyslaw Tyton.

Poland had certainly seen enough to offer encouragement and the momentum was with the hosts after the interval, with Glen Johnson having to rescue Phil Jagielka when his mistake threatened to offer up an opportunity to Lewandowski.

Hart had been relatively untroubled but he was called into action to turn away Ludovic Obraniak's long-range effort.

England were desperately wasteful in possession and were fortunate that Poland had not mustered the quality to punish them for their failings, although they had a chance to extend their lead against the run of play in the 64th minute.

Gerrard's free-kick found Jermain Defoe unmarked at the far post but his finish was uncharacteristically wasteful as he screwed his shot back across the face of goal.

Glik (right) heads in Poland's equaliser against England

It was Defoe's final contribution as he was soon replaced by Danny Welbeck and the change almost brought an instant reward.

The substitute won a race for possession with Polish keeper Tyton but, when he pulled the ball back to Manchester United team-mate Rooney, his finish was hopelessly off target.

Poland's pressure merited an equaliser and it came with 19 minutes left. It was a goal that will not have pleased Hart, who got nowhere near Obraniak's corner as Glik powered home the header.

It was the signal for another England change as Hodgson removed Rooney, who had been poor apart from his goal, and replaced him with the pace of teenager Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

The game's closing stages offered moments for each side but ultimately both seemed satisfied with sharing the points.

@316, Honestly don't think its a point of them not trying. Spain players cannot still be hungry with the success, money and prestige they already have. I think, come the knockouts, British players simply are not good enough. Thats why qualifying is a stroll in the park, group stages are relatively straightforward, but when the pressure and competition are stepped up, nothing. Gerrard is no Xavi.

I said they don't do it when it matters. When it is knockout the United players seem to Blackout and do nothing. At least the San Marino players put in 100% everytime they play, they are not a match for most teams. It is like saying United played well against Ilkeston Town.Until England ditch all the Prima Donnas and go with hungry unfashionable(to the Media) players, they will be dismal.

@296 Agreed. Clubs take the easier route, especially as talented foreign players are cheaper. But if they did enforce that quota, City and Chelsea would simply intensify what they already do, and buy all the young home talent and bench half of them. And until home talent catches up with foreign talent, our clubs & league would also suffer. We can't deny foreigner players our league greatly!

Need to start playing Walcott in an attacking role from now on. Walcott is actually a decent finisher when he wants to be, who is wasted on the wing. Let him score goals without having to make decisions about crossing. Think about the pace we could threaten with if we had Lennon on the wing instead with Walcott up front, and Rooney just behind. England could look half decent with this set up.

Im telling you, it would all click if scholes was involved.... played him on the LW though, he retired due to be used as a make shift player.... RH seems to be doing the same again though, was cleverley on the LW yesterday? ........ learn from your mistakes

I love it when people put up lists of their ideal England teams, as if that is the absolute nut cracker of the side that will eventually just erase 46 years of hurt and start to deliver all of a sudden. Haha! I do think RHodgson is leaving some key players out for me. Crouch, Sterling and Johnson should definitely be there, that would improve them slightly i think.

Although I respect RH, it's hard not to see his appointment as another poor decision by the FA which will cost us another four years.

After Capello we needed a brave new beginning. I see England at a point Liverpool found themselves pre-Rodgers - with a man in charge who didn't have the vision/verve to totally reinvent them. I think their short term underachievement will be a price worth paying

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